Meta

Subscribe

Archive for the ‘Campaigns’ Category

Migrante Ontario Youth is participating in the ePassport and Consular Services Campaign of Migrante International.

The ePassport is another service for overseas Filipinos which is becoming more and more difficult to access because of increasing fees imposed by the Philippine government. Many Filipino migrant workers in Canada have families back home whom they are sending money to or are waiting to sponsor. The increased ePassport fee adds to the financial burden which makes it difficult for migrant workers and their children to be reunited. Even when migrants are already able to bring their families here, many of them remain financially burdened because of all the fees they’ve had to pay, making the settlement process of their families even more challenging. In the meantime, the Philippine government is reaping huge profits from the dollar remittances of migrant workers while failing to protect their rights overseas.

Migrante Ontario Youth encourages all Filipino youth to participate in this campaign. Download the petition below and gather signatures from family members, friends, co-workers, etc.

Please submit the signed petitions to Migrante Ontario Youth BEFORE NOVEMBER 15, 2010.

In an ongoing assault on human rights by the Philippine government, 43 health workers were illegally arrested and detained on February 6, 2010 in Morong, Rizal, Philippines. They are still illegally being held at the Philippine Military Camp Capinpin and have endured continuous ill treatment and torture in the military camp. Families of some of the 43 health workers have also reported harassment by the military. This situation is critical. Each day that the 43 health workers are not released, it is one more day they have to endure pain, fear, and torture.Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Campaigns, Events | Comments Off on Art Beyond Barriers: A Live Art Petition

On November 23, 2009, 57 people were brutally killed in the province of Maguindanao, Philippines in the most barbaric and politically-motivated killings in the history of the country. The victims include innocent women, children, 2 lawyers and 30 media people. The Philippines is now the most dangerous place in the world for journalists!

Enough is enough! We need to demand to end all political killings! We need to demand to end impunity! We need to demand respect for human rights! We need to say Never Again to Martial Law! We need to:

STAND UP FOR JUSTICE!
Stop the Killings in the Philippines!
Never again to Martial Law!

A Day of Action against ImpunityJoin the Solidarity Vigil Protest

International Human Rights Day
Thursday, December 10, 2009 – 6:00 PM
Trinity-St. Paul United Church [The Fireside Room]
427 Bloor St. West, Toronto[Steps west of the Spadina subway station]

ABDUCTION, TORTURE AND MURDER OF REBELYN PITAO

Migrante Youth, member organization of Migrante Ontario, strongly condemns the grotesque killing of Rebelyn Pitao, 20, a teacher in Davao City, Philippines and daughter of Leoncio Pitao, a commander of the New People’s Army (NPA).

Rebelyn was abducted by suspected military agents near her family home in Davao City , while she was on her way home from school around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 4. The next day her underwear clad body was found floating in an irrigation ditch in Davao del Norte with signs of torture. Her body sustained blunt force injuries to her face, rope marks on her neck, five stab wounds to her body which pierced her lungs and liver, and lacerations on her genitals.

This latest human rights violation by the Arroyo regime is in direct violation of International Humanitarian Law and clearly shows the government’s unwillingness to distinguish between civilians and combatants in their U.S.-backed “war on terror” against the NPA. Since Arroyo took power in 2001 close to 1000 extra-judicial killings have claimed the lives of journalists, clergy, union leaders, students and other civilians who have been critical of the government, while roughly 200 individuals have been subjected to enforced disappearance.

The abductions of youth leaders Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño on June 26, 2006 are still fresh in our minds. Sherlyn was a member of the youth organization ANAKBAYAN and was pregnant, while Karen was with the League of Filipino Students and one month shy of celebrating her 23rd birthday at the time of their abduction.

We hold the de facto president of the Philippines and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines , Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo responsible for this heinous violation of Rebelyn Pitao’s right to life, and that of the many others.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, and Arbitrary Executions, Philip Alston, issued a report in 2008 linking the extrajudicial execution of activists to the government’s counterinsurgency operations.

We urge our fellow youth to join us in the international campaign to stop the political killings, abductions and other human rights violations in the Philippines.

Maria Luisa “Luing” Posa-Dominado was a community organizer and human rights advocate, and is one of the victims of “enforced disappearances” which have taken place under the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regime. Luing was abducted by unidentified men in fatigue clothing on April 12, 2007, and is still missing to this day.

Below is a letter to Luing from her 15-year-old daughter, Tamara, written just before Luing’s birthday on August 10 this year.

15-year-old Tamara Dominado at the celebration of her mother Luing's 53rd birthday on August 10, 2008. Luing was abducted by unidentified men on April 12, 2007 and is still missing.

Dear Nanay,

On August 10, you’ll be 53 already. I really wish you’ll be there when we celebrate it. I’ve missed you so much, everyday and always. And I guess everyone else has, too.

It’s been hard not having you around. Manang has been a pain in the ass as always but she’s trying.

I’ve been living in a dorm for the past 2 months now. It’s been stressful and depressing living there. Some of my high school classmates are staying there too. I get home sick every now and then because I don’t like that place. I don’t know why.

You know this one time; I really got sick because I cried for almost the whole night. Crying makes me weak, I guess. You see, that night, my classmate got home sick and she cried because she missed her mom. And I guess that’s what triggered my fits of crying. You see, I won’t easily admit it and I sometimes forget it, but deep down inside, I miss you so much. I’ve missed you since the day you never came back. I try my best not to talk about you because just a mere memory could bring me on the verge of tears.

I remembered when I first cried in the dorm. We were having our group dynamics and were talking about our lives and problems. When it came to be my turn, I thought I could handle it and they urged me to let out because they said it would lessen the pain, so I talked about you and my life, but it only managed to make me cry and make my head ache for the whole night. Sometimes I wonder if the pain will ever go away.

The last time I cried it was during the first time I went to a cheering practice for the Elektrons. It was my first time to be in the workshop and I had to do it alone because I was late. I guess they weren’t that hard on me like they were on the others. I just had to act three times. It was a nightmare because I couldn’t keep myself from smiling. But on the last scene they turned out the lights. Then they told me to act like a mother begging for food and money to feed her child. I didn’t know what to do so I knelt and acted but I still kept on smiling. And I guess they wanted to piss me off to stop me from smiling so they threw bad comments at me. They were all talking at the same time and I don’t know how I heard this question, but I heard it loud and clear over the other comments. Someone said, “Where’s your mom?” and thinking that it was just gonna be a part of my acting I replied, “She’s dead…” and it took sometime for me to take in those words. I said a whole lot more but then I stopped mid-sentence. The whole weight of what I said bore down on me. It felt like the darkness was squeezing me, seeping into every bit of my humanity, waiting for me to fall off the brink, and then, I cried. And I guess the people around me didn’t understand why I cried. They don’t know. I guess they thought they were a bit rough on me so they were a lot nicer to me after that incident. And somehow it made me laugh a bit. Some of my friends were there to comfort me, too. I wouldn’t have stopped crying if they weren’t there.

And you know what, nay? Remember when I said that I got sick? My friends took care of me that day and I got a lot better in no time. And being around people takes my mind off the sadness. I guess that’s why I’m a bit monophobic now. I get depressed when I’m alone.

What I’m trying to say is, on your birthday, or any other day, nay, you don’t need to worry about me, about us. All you need to do is to worry about yourself and take care, wherever you are. Because I (us, those who you care for) am surrounded by people who care and will help in any way they can. They can make me laugh until my tummy hurts and they’re also crazy just like me.

And as I finish this letter addressed supposedly to you, but will never reach you, I guess, I would like to write these lyrics from a song I heard.

“I’ve lost any chance for me to say,
To say that I miss you,
Say that I love you,
Will someone please tell me I’m OK?…”

– by Tamara

For more coverage of the commemoration of Luing and links to other sites with information about her abduction,visit Arkibong Bayan: